The Demon of Pride
by Itoma
Summary: She had absolutely no idea how she ended up there.. but hey, Hell couldn't be to bad right? ... Right?


A/N: Alrighty so, before anyone gets all up in my business. Keep in mind my knowledge of the bible... in any of its religious variations, is relatively little. So characters and places show in this story are based upon what research I have done and what I have seen or experienced in other stories/games/shows, what have you.

This was a story I wrote and kept exclusively on AO3, because I wasn't sure how well it would be received on a much larger site like . Religious stuff is always a gamble to write about... you never know what crazies are going to jump you next.

But either way. For those of you who read this I hope you find it enjoyable. If you don't well that's just fine and dandy. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. =3

* * *

Kagome took in her surroundings... idly wondering, how in the name of the kami did she end up here? In Hell... dressed in nothing more then a white gown? This was so not cool! What god did she piss off to end up here? Of all the places she could have ended up when she died, she got thrown into a hell that wasn't even her own! This was unacceptable!

She was a good person right? Slayed evil. Protected the innocent. Destroyed cursed jewels. So why was she here... in the palace of the prince of lies, of the Demon Lord of Pride... in the home of Lucifer? She wasn't even a christian... or catholic, or any of those religions that believed in such a being. Something must have gone horribly awry when she died.

She looked down at the mote of lava and fire that surrounded the black palace. It was preventing her from leaving this place, leaving her with only one place to go... through the open doors of the large obsidian castle.

Now most would consider this a bad idea, hell most would be freaking the fuck out. But not Kagome, sure she was disturbed what with her current location being hell , it would be one hell of a Facebook check in, but she'd seen plenty in her short... 20 years... of life...

...

"Oh come on," She growled, trying to remember how she died, once she figured out who was responsible for this mess they were going to pay dearly.

Kagome Higurashi was going to ruin somebody's day.

She faintly remembered a large fang like sword and a man garbed in red... her blood trickling down the blade. Cold brown eyes and deep amber eyes filled with guilt.

Who.. were those two.. why had they killed her? Did she wrong them some how? Kagome gave an aggravated sigh, her memory was in pieces it seemed. She remembered several major events; The birth of her little brother, her mother marking her height on a door frame when she was six, graduating from primary school, falling down the well, meeting several people and going on a quest of some kind, slaying a half-demon, and destroying a jewel... and from there it went blank.

Well no matter, having memories meant squat if she was going to be trapped and tortured in some place filled with fire and brimstone. She needed a way out, and if she couldn't find one out herself, who better to ask then the ruler of hell himself? She wasn't familiar with the religions that spoke of this.. Lucifer? ... What ever you wanted to call him, but he couldn't be too scary... right?

* * *

Wrong! Wrong wrong wrong, horribly wrong!

Kagome screamed, as she slammed a set of black wooden doors behind her small plumes of fire escaping the cracks between the doors and the frame. She had stumbled upon the throne room only to be beset upon by a tall ferocious man with black feathered wings. Well... ferocious was a.. bit of an exaggeration.. he was actually very handsome, from what she saw before he flew at her in blaze of fire, he had long dark hair that fell just above his shoulders, a strong square jaw, well defined cheek bones, and piercing red eyes.

The doors rattled as his fists beat against them, the wood was starting feel hot against her back. When he hit the doors again, she bolted, running as fast as her legs would carry her down the huge hallway that had lead her to the throne room.

Note... Never doubt the scariness of another religions hellish ruler. You will be surprised. Kagome thought, jumping mid run as one of the black doors landed next to her.

"Its not nice to throw things at a lady!" She yelled over her shoulder, though she probably shouldn't have, suddenly feeling flames licking at her heels. She smiled as she looked at her destination, the large open doors that lead out to the courtyard of the castle, she was so close... once out side she'd have more options to run and hide then the long open hallway she was currently racing through.

When the doors slammed closed on their own, her face fell as she ran up to them beating them with her fists to try to get them open before turning to look behind her. The flames were gone?

The doors that had been ripped off their hinges at the end of the hallway where back in place... and the demonic angel was no where to be seen.

"You... weren't expecting to end up here... were you?" A deep masculine voice suddenly spoke from above. Her brow furrowed as she looked up and yelped.

There he was, wearing a white tunic, standing on the wall parallel to the floor, his arms crossed over his muscular chest, his black wings spread out wide as he grinned down at her.

"Uh... no.. not particularly," She replied, backing away slowly giving a nervous chuckle.

"Well, here you are.. do you have any clue as to why?" He spoke, walking down the wall till he reached the floor, and then as if he was walking up a single step he stood upright before her, his wings giving a momentary flap as he righted himself, causing her long black hair to wave in the slight gust.

"Not really.. last I checked I was just a simple priestess... of a shrine, that bares no relation to you what so ever," Kagome explained, her brow furrowed again as she looked up at him, worry flooding through her system.

"Oh its simple really.. your gods have no place for you in their hell realm, and it wasn't your time to die, and your soul had to be placed somewhere so they tossed you my way, and well.. if you're familiar with my work at all you'll know I would never turn down a soul such as yours," His lips curled as he gave her a broad toothy smile, his pearly white teeth inspiring fear in her for some reason... those canines looked really long...

"I've always wanted one of my own.. a holy priestess, not just some wench who I gave the title too. But I guess... you won't be so holy once I'm through with you." The innuendo didn't go over Kagome's head, though it was a common misconception that a priestess lost her supernatural powers when she gave into the needs of the flesh, that misconception never stopped anyone from trying to jump her bones before. Kagome shuttered, remembering Mukotsu... the troll had tried to marry her, among other things.

"Umm.. I'm gonna have to pass on that.. I kind of need to not.. be here," Kagome offered him a nervous smile as she gestured to their surroundings.

"Why is that? Do you have some where to be? Somewhere to go? Because I'm quite sure that you don't... what with being dead and all," He chuckled, his wings folding behind him as he began to circle the pure soul before him, his eyes roving over her form, taking in her womanly curves that her simple gown seemed to accentuate.

She huffed, her lips pouting slightly at the simple fact he was right, she was dead... that's pretty much final, no coming back from that unless you were Kikyo.

Her eyes widened as several images flooded her mind. Kikyo standing next to... Inuyasha! That's what his name was. But it wasn't really Kikyo... no just the small twisted part of her Urasue had brought back from the grave in a body of clay. The part of Kikyo that was filled with hatred for the role she had been dealt in life, for the end she had met, for the betrayal she had felt.

After the jewel erased from existence, the clay priestess had somehow convinced Inuyasha to kill her... thinking if she possessed the soul of her reincarnation she would be able to come fully back to life, instead of waste away in her demon-made body. With these thoughts in mind she forgot where she was, her heart aching, her mind racing in circles as she fell to her knees, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

Lucifer furrowed his brow, looking upon her.'

"Wha... what are you doing? No! Don't do that," He suddenly ordered, commanding her to stop the flow of tears, it only made things worse as she hid her face in her hands and sobbed. He started to panic, never has he had a soul that just up and started crying on him, yes during torture sessions some of them cried, but thats because he had actually done something. This.. beautiful woman was now sobbing lightly on the floor of his foyer, and he had no idea why.

"Imp! Imp! Come here this instant!" He called out, unsure of what to do in this situation.

A small red skinned demon suddenly popped in to the large foyer in a cloud of sulfur and fumes, flames dancing around its feet and hands as it hopped over to the premier prince of hell, casting a questioning look between his boss and the human woman.

"So.. boss... what'd ya do tell her shes going to be flogged later?" the small demon laughed lightly, before Lucifer glared at him, large ram like horns suddenly jutting out of the demon lord's forehead and curling back around his ears.

"Stop her infernal crying... do something," He growled, clearly angry, yet he didn't know why, normally another's suffering only brought him joy, but hearing her cries confused him, it made something in his chest become all knotted and tight feeling, it made him want to... hold her.

The imp gave him an incredulous look, before making a ball of flame in his hand, "I can shut her up.. but I don't think you want me to do it this way," It stated slowly.

Lucifer looked at the ball of fire and the woman before him and with an aggravated growl he punted the Imp a short distance away from the girl, his own skin taking on a deep reddish hue as his anger grew.

"Not like that you impudent rat!" He growled, before doing what he felt he needed to do.. what ever that nagging feeling inside him was, urged him to do, and quickly wrapped the woman up in his arms nuzzling her hair and surrounding them with his wings, the large feathered appendages cutting off any outside view of the pair.

"I do not know what has upset you, but I urge you to stop.. it is making me... uncomfortable." He grumbled into her hair, she smelled... so good, so sweet before she through her head back and glared at him out right. What had he done now?

"I'm so sorry I've made you uncomfortable, oh great Lord of Hell! I didn't ask you to comfort me! And what do you expect me to do right now," She growled back through the tears, "I just woke up in hell, because my own gods couldn't keep me and my best friend betrayed me!"

Lucifer gaped at her slightly, she just.. snapped at him? He growled deep in his chest as he just held her tighter, what the hell was wrong with him, he should be flogging her right now... not holding her. When she started to struggle against his hold he merely kept his muscled arms secure around her, craning his neck down to grumble in her ear.

"You need to stop... no harm will come to you here," his voice was deep and husky in her ear, causing her to freeze and slowly tilt her head back to look up at him, her eyes red and somewhat puffy from the tears as she narrowed them in suspicion.

".. why?"

The Dark Prince gave a deep sigh, loosening his hold ever so slightly now to afford her some comfort.

"While you have been placed here by your gods, I hold no power over you, I..." He stopped speaking for but a moment, "can not harm you, you are a guest... an eternal guest, of my realm."

"So I'm not going to be flogged?" She sniffled lightly.

The innocent question made him want to lock her away in his quarters and hide her from anything that would ever seek to harm her, so strong was his VERY unusual need to console her.

"No.. never."

She gave him a pensive look, her sapphire eyes gazing up at him.

"So.. what was all that earlier about with the fire.. and the door breaking."

He gave her a broad wicked grin. "Funzies"

* * *

Time... was a trivial thing in hell. They didn't bother monitoring hours, minutes, seconds, days, weeks, or months even. Unless one souls particular torture involved it some how. Other wise they just popped up earth side to see what year it was. So Kagome had no idea how long she had been "living" in the Black Castle. It felt like a few days... but she couldn't say for certain. After her first day Lucifer had gone and left for some reason or another, and at this point she was missing his company even though she had only spent several hours with him after their initial meeting.

His "certifiable" company was preferred to the demon guards that didn't acknowledge her save to open doors for her when she chose to enter a room. The Imp from her first "day" provided some entertainment though, she found that her powers were still very much hers even though she was dead, and after she had found out the imp had attempted to silence her with a fire ball, she took pleasure in zapping the small demon when he got to frisky. It apparently had a thing for grabbing her bum.

The Imp's name was Wraith... it didn't exactly fit, but she never questioned the name he had been given when he was apparently hatched. Wraith served as Lucifer's personal servant in the castle, and he was tasked with watching the black castle when the lord was out. And now she could feel his small clawed hand slowly trailing up her leg.

With a sigh she pointed her index finger at him and sent a small jolt of energy at him causing him to fall over, his body smoking slightly.

"Wraith.. are you ever going to stop?" She grumbled.

"Maybe when the boss comes back... he acts weird around you," He stated from his place on the floor.

"What do you mean? Isn't he just crazy? Shouldn't weird be a norm for him?" Kagome spoke as she sat down upon the bed, located in the quarters that had been given to her.

"Are you kidding? Look I don't know what crazy gods, deities, whatever you worshiped before you ended up here, but Lucifer, the Dark Prince. Comforting. Anyone... is weird," He spoke frankly, pushing himself up to his feet before hopping on the bed next to her, picking his nose, causing Kagome to gag slightly.

"Hmmm..." She thought about him, from what she could tell what the imp spoke was true. But her impression of him as an individual spoke other wise, that first night before he left, he had been, overly accommodating to her, opening doors and pulling out chairs for her. He spoke kindly to her, yet he also had his moments where he seemed, not quite there, like he was plotting something, or he would get angry for some reason unknown to her.

* * *

"Asmo! Where the hell are you?" Lucifer growled, marching into the other arch-demon's palace, throwing the stone doors open with a huff.

"Lucifer... what can I do for you," The other prince spoke lazily, laying back on his throne as a pair, a woman and man serviced him.

"Send your servants away.. I must speak with you in private," Lucifer ordered. The prince of lust, simply sighed and waved them off, giving the male's ass a pinch as they walked behind his throne heading to the arch-demons personal quarters, "prepare your self.. I'll be in need of your bottom once this is through," he growled.

The Prince of Pride, rolled his eyes, he honestly didn't understand why he had come to Asmodeus's home. After his seemingly long round of inspecting the seven layers of hell, making sure everything was running just as he liked it, the whole while he couldn't take his newest ward off his mind. With her soft cream colored skin and raven hair.. and her sweet delectable scent. His entire patrol of his realm he had to resist the urge to fly back to his palace and ravage her. And not in the way incubi did their pray, no.. he wanted to make her feel unending pleasure, to make her know it was he who brought her such intimate stimulation.

He wanted her to focus on him and him alone... he was feeling possessive beyond all reason. He had damn nearly snapped the head off one of his demon guards when they had leered at her.

Dare he say it... he wanted her love? That foolish human emotion with which he had used to barter so many mortals out of their souls... and now he was feeling it.

"Asmo..." referring to the other prince with the nickname he hated, "What can you tell me of.. wooing a female."

Asmodeaus arched a golden brow at his ruler. His interest suddenly sparked.

"Wooing a woman? Why do you ask? We're demons brother, we do not woo, we take." He stated plainly, keeping his interested gaze on Lucifer, "Why do you.. ask?"

"Surely, you, the father of Incubi and Succubi alike, would know how to woo a woman? Your children had to learn it from someone," Lucifer spoke, dodging the other lords question, "or you wouldn't have any souls or servants."

The Prince of Lust huffed, idly fondling himself to keep his arousal going through the conversation, he wanted to be ready for his servants after this conversation, Lucifer blanched at the sight looking away as he did so.

"Of course.. but since I have thousands of Children I do not need to do so anymore... they bring me plenty of toys with which to play with," He explained, running a hand up his dark tanned body to twist his own nipple, "Now.. why dear brother.. are you wasting my time with such non-sense."

"I have a woman I wish to court... to make my... queen," He stated slowly, knowing he had given away to much information, his brothers would love to take over his position as the ruler of hell, and having a weakness such as Kagome could easily get anyone of them his throne. At least until he wed her, when she officially bared his mark she'll be untouchable to all in hell.

He hadn't told her that, even though he couldn't harm her, since he was the current ruler of hell, other denizens of hell could. Certain divine rules bound him that didn't bind normal demons and the other princes. HE can not harm a soul that does not belong to him, as an example, but his servant Wraith could.

Divine laws were set in place to prevent those in power from overstepping their bounds.

"A woman?" Asmodeaus have a low dark chuckle, "Oh my how you have fallen, first banished from heaven for taking a stand against god because you didn't want to serve man kind, and now you're falling for one of those you so despise."

Lucifer scowled at the other prince, "Asmo-"

"You've made yourself a prime target brother, rest assured, I won't make a move against you, but the others might once they learn of this," He continued, before Lucifer suddenly had him pined against the wall above the doors to his private quarters, Asmodeaus' throne laying broken to the side.

"If you utter, a single syllable. Inform any demon outside this room," Lucifer growled, his true form showing through once again, horns and red skin blazing for across his appearance, "I will. Make it a point. To rend you, limb from limb, put you back together again and then make you a whore for your own servants."

Asmodeaus struggled to breath, his neck being crushed by the Arch-Demon of Pride.

"Do I make my self clear?"

Asmodeaus weakly nodded his head, before Lucifer dropped him to the ground, the naked demon gasping to breath.

"You best wed her soon brother, because our siblings will notice sooner or later," Asmodeaus spoke, between gasps.

"Worry not... brother," Lucifer spoke the word with spite, "I will see to it she is claimed before long."

And with that, Lucifer waltzed out of the Palace of Lust, smirking as he listened to his brother give a loud angered roar, soon followed by the screams of his servants as he took his frustrations out on them.

* * *

Lucifer stared at the black wooden doors before him, the light blue flames of the torches that flanked the doors lighting the long hallway he currently occupied. She was on the other side. Doing something. He wasn't quite sure, though he was somewhat omnipotent in hell, he could simply extend his mental presence to encompass her room. Strangely though he found himself resisting... as if he valued letting her have her privacy.

He frowned then, since when did start to care about her privacy? Sure it was one thing to want her as his queen, but to actually show her this respect for no reason baffled him. He was ruler here, he did as he pleased when he pleased and others who stood in his way be damned.. He went to grasp the door handle... but he stopped himself once again. With a deep aggravated sigh he clenched his fist and instead knocked lightly upon her door. Why did her opinion of him suddenly matter so damn much?

"I'm coming!" Her light bell like voice sounded from the other side, as his mind took a dark turn instantly, wondering what those exact words would sound like when she writhed with pleasure beneath him.

When the door opened before him, revealing Kagome, wearing a slim black gown in place of her white one he coughed into his fist. He was glad they had some semblance of modesty in hell, because while the soft fabric of her clothes showed of her feminine form, if she was naked he was sure he would lose his mind, that and his need to mate with her would be painfully obvious right now. Suddenly grateful for his tight loin cloth under his white tunic.

"Oh!... Ah.. Lucifer, can I help you with something?" She asked slowly, a sheepish smile gracing her lips as she looked up at him from the safety of her quarters. Of course the word safety was used loosely in this respect.. He ruled this plane of existence, no section of space was safe from him.

"I was wondering if you would do me the honor of dining with me," He leaned down to ask her with a fanged smile.

She looked up at him, clearly confused. "Dine... as in eat food? Aren't we dead?"

"Even the soul requires sustenance now and again my dear, and if you'll look at your self you'll find that your body is very much like the one you had when you were alive.. it actually functions much the same, with the exception of never having to visit the little girls room," He chuckled, pointing out the obvious. Watching as she looked down at her self, apparently she hadn't given it much thought since landing in hell.

"Well... when you put it that way, what will we be eating exactly?" She looked up at him with a slight blush upon her features.

"The blood and entrails of my enemies," Lucifer replied with a smile, watching as she out right gagged at the thought.

"You can't be serious!?"

"I'm not... we'll be eating from a wide selection of fruits, stolen from the Garden of Eden," He chuckled, watching her face contort with mild anger, her face becoming redder. It was really quite adorable, "Now come... my servants should be back soon enough."

He turned slightly offering her his arm as his wings spread behind him, when she tentatively took his arm, he had to resist the urge to shiver at the feather light touch of her hand.

"You steal food from.. this Garden of Eden place? Don't you have food of your own grown down here," She gave him an inquisitive look.

"We do... but pomegranates become tiresome after a while, so we indulge now and then, send a few imps up top to retrieve some food from the garden," He explained with a smug grin, "its a win-win really, not only do we get some delicious food, but we also piss off my brothers and sister's up top"

"You have brother's and sister's in the heavens as well?" he resisted the urge to laugh at her inquisitive mind, perhaps he could have someone retrieve THE book for her to read some time, as much as he would loath having the blasted tome in his home, it would be easier then answering all her questions.

"Well.. I was an angel once, pet," He flapped his large black feathered wings in emphasis.

"Sooo... how exactly did you end up down here?"

A scowled worked its self upon his features.. even though it had been thousands of years since he fell from grace, the wounds were still fresh in his mind, "I'll just get you a copy of the book... that is a story I don't particularly enjoy reliving."

Kagome gave a silent "oh" in response, before the continued their walk in silence, heading straight for the dining hall.

Once they reached the dining hall, Lucifer retrieved his arm from Kagome's grasp before opening the doors for her, revealing the large elegant dining hall. Her eyes roved over the glittering crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the massive table that stretched the length of the room, at one end sat 7 identical chairs, each of them covered in jewels and precious metals. When her eyes went to the walls, she narrowed them, the walls looked as if they used to have something affixed to them, and they fact that something was there had yet to be covered up.

"What used to line the walls?"

Lucifer gave her a.. dare she think it, sheepish grin. "Well, to be honest, I used to enjoy the screams of sinners being punished while I ate, but I didn't think you would find it appropriate for the diner table."

Kagome's eyes went wide in shock, the she really shouldn't have been, he was the ruler of hell after all.

They sat in awkward silence that time, while she really didn't approve of torture.. this was a form of hell.. and the souls who were here did something to be here, she decided she'd leave the subject alone once they sat down to eat. Not even a second after her bottom touched the seat an ethereal, gaseous being floated over to where she sat and placed a silver plate before her, upon it was a large assortment of sliced fruits.

"Oh... well.. this looks good," She spoke, picking up a slice of what she believed to be an apple, the peel that still recided on the side was shiny and golden in color, as if it had been dipped in the metal.

"I'm glad you think so," Lucifer spoke, preening slightly when she complimented the meal he had provided for her, as he sat down in his own chair at the head of the table, looking over to his left to observe her as she nibbled upon the fruit, smiling when her face lit up at the taste.

"What kind of apple is this!? Its so sweet and juicy.. its perfect!"She exclaimed before devouring the slice.

"A special kind, we have connections with other hell realms as well, and they steal or in some cases receive fruits and meals from their counterparts as well. You wouldn't believe what I had to trade to Hades to get that Piece of Fruit," He explained, leaning over the table and propping his head up in one hand, content to observer her and ignore the meal before him. He didn't know what it was about her, maybe the purity of her soul, or the way her lips curled when they smiled, but he felt lighter when he was around her, like he was filled with joy when she was merely in his prescience. Which was strange.. to say the least. How could she bring him joy just by being here?

"Sooo.. how was your day?" She asked, before reaching for another slice of apple.

"Well.. I'll skip over the gruesome details. It was alright.. I paid my brother Asmodeaus a visit... which wasn't my best idea I'll admit," He replied, idly grabbing an apple slice off his own silver plate.

"Oh what's he like?"

He openly scowled when she turned her wide curious blue eyes to him, he instantly felt a very hateful spark ignite inside him. The thought of her being curious about anyone but him irking him.

"He's a raving slut! He'll sleep with what ever he finds that that happens to have an orifice or a big dick," He growled, he never felt bad about speaking poorly of any of his siblings, and even then what he spoke was partially true.

Kagome's mouth made the silent "oh" again before she went back to enjoying her meal, while Lucifer lightly smacked his forehead, the tips of his ram-like horns poking through his temples. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she observed him, she looked curious still, but hesitant.

"What question do you have now my dear," he asked, his temper quickly evening as he spoke to her, his horns receding into his skull.

He restrained another chuckle as she fidgeted in her seat slightly, before finally opening her mouth.

"So... do you change a lot when you get angry? Like with the horns and red skin and what not," She asked.

Lucifer was hesitant to answer her question, knowing his true from was that of a demon beast, something she surely wouldn't find attractive in the least, but he relented, in all his years of existence he'd never hidden his true self from others, at least not while in his own realm, why start now.

"What you saw is me.. well what I actually look like, the form you see before you is a glamor, a spell if you will, reminiscent of when I was an angel, my true form is... unfit for your eyes," Lucifer informed her, not really wanting to reveal this information.

The silence returned again, he wasn't sure what she was thinking about really, just that she seemed deep in thought with what he told her.

And deep in thought she was. Kagome idly wondered why he would hide his true form from her, but then again demons from Japan, at least the higher classed ones, disguised themselves. If only not to instill fear and riots in the humans around them. But why would he? Surely everyone in this dimension already feared him, so that couldn't be the reason, maybe... he missed being what he used to be?

"So... why do you hide yourself.. behind your spell?" She asked, turning in her seat to face him, pushing her plate away to show that he had her full attention.

He looked to be at a loss for words for a moment, holding up his hand as he prepared to say something before stopping. His lips thinned as he stood up from his chair, and stepped a short distance away from the table.

"Because... I guess.. I still want to consider my self as.. well one of them... up there. On some level anyways," He explained, looking back at her as she stood up from her own chair.

"I understand that.. its tough to let go of the way things used to be, of the life you used to have, but you can't move forward if you're always anchored down by the past," Kagome spoke, stepping up to him with her hands folded behind her back.

Lucifer contemplated her words, what she spoke was something wise beyond her years, he had a new reason to not take on his true form any more... what if she found him hideous? Ugh! Leave it to a woman to make the ruler of hell feel self conscientious!

She took a step back and smiled up at him, "Alright, show me what you really look like."

He narrowed his eyes at her, his lips thinning into a grim line.

"I promise I wont judge you and I wont run away screaming." Her attempts to reassure him didn't really help to relieve his doubts, he was still skeptical as to what her reaction would be. The thought of her being afraid or disgusted by his looks made something unsavory coil up in the pit of his stomach.

The stood in silence in the vast dining hall, him watching her as she waited quietly and patiently for him to show her. The look in her sapphire blue eyes weakening his resolve.

"Very well, but no running... and no screaming," Lucifer growled, to which she replied with a vehement nod.

He took a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders as he began to release the spell.

Kagome watched in awe as his tanned flesh slowly turned a deep ruby red in color, his ram-like horns pushing forward out of his temples before curling back behind his now pointed ears, his long black locks receding down to a simple crew cut around his horns, as the large black feathers fell from his wings, leaving behind the bare leathery bat-like wings. She jumped slightly when she heard the sound of a whip cracking, her eyes went wide when she spied the long black arrow-tipped tail that stood out from his back.

"What do you think of the Dark Prince now, pet" His voice was deeper as well, rough and gravely, but not wholly unappealing to the ear.

She took a step closer to him, before he had only been a head taller then her, now he was a good two feet taller then her five foot nothing. In this form he wore little more then a black leathery kilt, as opposed to the white tunic he wore before, the expanse of his muscled chest was left bare for her eyes to see.

Lucifer observed her reaction, just waiting silently for her to find something repulsive about him, but as the silence went on nothing happened she simply walked around him ducking under his expanded wings to look at his back before coming back around his other side and ducking under the second leathery appendage. When she stood before him again she reached forward and grasped one of his large hands in bother of hers, her eyes practically glittering with acceptance for this form of his.

"You look good to me, I also like the goatee you've got going on there," She spoke with a genuine smile, causing him to grin back at her as he reached up and stroked the facial hair that adorned his true face.

"I don't... scare you at all," He prodded curiously.

"Nope," was her short response, "Like I said you look pretty good.. although..."

She continued to look up at him curiously, before motioning for him to lean down. Lucifer furrowed his brows before deciding to humor her and lean down. He suddenly had to stifle a groan as her soft hands grasped his horns... the pads of her thumbs stroking the ridged curves of the external bones.

"They're so... cool looking, OH!" She spoke, feeling his large hands suddenly grasped her hips.

"You.. should stop that... unless you wish me to take you.. right here on the dining room floor," He grated out, the tips of his claws lightly pricking her through her black gown.

Kagome quickly released his horns as if they were on fire, after which he let out a long low sigh, his hands pulling back as he stood up to his full height once again.

"I'm sorry.. I probably should have asked if that was okay," She spoke, her face red with embarrassment.

"It is.. fine.. but now you know for future reference... a demon's horns are not something to play with.. unless you plan on being bent over the nearest object," Lucifer gave her a playful grin, causing her to blush more and hide her face in her hands.

"You're... so perverted," She spoke, her voice muffled by her hands, but he understood her words all the same.

"Only for you, pet," He grinned, reaching forward and pinching her bottom lightly causing her to jump and smack his hand away.

"NO!... Bad lord of hell! Bad!" She growled out, the sound she meant to intimidate him with only made him smile more.

"Would you like to punish me?" His grin became wicked, leaning down to grasp her chin while he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"No! I'm going back to my room," She huffed turning from him and making her away before a well muscled arm sudden wrapped around her waist and pulled her back and up against Lucifer's chest.

"Come now.. don't be like that," He spoke, walking back over to the table and setting her down softly in her chair, "Now finish your meal, I wish to spend more time with you before returning to my duties."

He grinned as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned from her plate like a petulant child. When he nudged it closer to her, she nudged it back. They started to push the plate between the two of them and after a while Lucifer began to lose his patients, why did she have to be so difficult?

Just as he pushed the plate towards her again, he gave a victorious smirk when she didn't push it back, watching as she looked down at the small tray of fruits. And just as he relaxed back into his chair, he felt a particularly juicy slice of fruit slap against his cheek. He looked down and watched as the slice of orange fell into his lap, before turning his burning red gaze to her. She had a smirk set upon her face.

"So you wish to play like that... very well then," He reached over to his once forgotten plate of fuites and grabbed a large plateful of them before tossing them at her, watching in satisfaction as she threw up her arms to shield herself, but to no avail with in milliseconds she was covered in fruits, one of them even landed in her hair.

She let out an aggravated growl before grabbing a hand full of her own food and tossing it back at him...

* * *

A short while later they walked out of the dining hall, covered in fruits and juices from said fruits. Wraith who had been waiting outside the dining hall raised a brow at his master and their guest. Both were silent, but had each had broad grins across their faces.

"If I'm not to bold, my lord... what has happened?" The small red imp asked, looking up at the two. He watched as they both looked to each other before smiling down at him.

"The lady and I had a-"

"Disagreement," Kagome chimed in, suppressing a giggle as the imp narrowed his eyes at the two.

"I see... shall I ready a bath my lord?" Wraith inquired.

Lucifer's eyes seemed to light up at the idea, snaking a hand around Kagome's waist once again, "Yes.. prepare a bath for me and the lady."

"Nooooope.. I'll bath on my own thank you," She spoke, quickly picking up where he was going with the bath idea.

When the tall red skinned demon huffed at her response, she merely patted his shoulder lightly, "There there.. I'm sure there's a lovely demoness that would love to bath with you." She spoke before waltzing out of his grasp and down the hall way towards her room, wishing to retrieve another gown, which is apparently all she was allowed to wear down her, for after her bath.

"... but, I want you..." He spoke softly as she watched her form dance away from him, paying no mind to the imp next to him, whose eyes had bugged out of their little head at the quiet confession.

* * *

The next "day." Meaning after having a bath and taking a good long sleep, Kagome hopped out of her room with a smile upon her face, although she knew she was dead and in hell she didn't let the information to bother her. She wasn't here to be punished for anything she did in life, she was here because her own gods had horrible organizational skills. And it wasn't so bad... so long as one stayed inside the castle. Lucifer had made it a point to make sure the Black Citadel had a strictly PG theme to it. But if she left the castle for any reason, he was not responsible for what ever horrible things she witnessed, well.. technically he was, it was his job to make sure sinner's were punished, but Kagome had the choice to avoid seeing it or not.

Idly she wondered were her host was at... he must be attending to his duties, because otherwise it seemed like he preferred to be in her presence. As she rounded a corner heading towards the throne room, where she had first met the Premier Prince of Hell, she stopped.

The Air suddenly felt hot.. almost stifling as she gasped for breath as if the oxygen had become sulfur. How had she not noticed this malicious presence before? Backing up slightly the noxious feeling faded. What ever was in the castle right now was not something she wanted to trifle with. So quickly she turned and doubled back to her room. The ominous feelings that washed over her just now had, in all honesty terrified her down to the bone.

* * *

Lucifer looked down at his brother Satan, The Demon Lord of Wrath. His brother had come here seeking what ever pure soul was currently housed inside his home, not that he would clue him into Kagome's whereabouts. Satan was one of few beings who could stand up to him, as such Lucifer, in order to avoid an unnecessary bout with his demonic sibling, which would no doubt level his castle, he was opting to... play dumb.

"I know not of this, pure soul, that you seek brother... if there was one in my palace I assure you I would have dealt with it before you could take notice," He spoke, his tone board as he examined his black claws, picking a grain of dirt from under his forefinger with his thumb nail.

The other prince growled lowly up at his brother. Satan was a large demon bulky with muscle, his body made for battle and war. And as the demon of wrath it was more or less his calling. His flesh was a dark gray color, his horns that of a buffalo's, covering his forehead before growing out parallel to his shoulders for curling up slightly at the tips. Satan, like most demons, never hid his true self behind a spell even more so behind clothes, his large muscular frame was bare, save for a black loin-cloth covered in chains. The Demon of Wrath preferred to show off as much of his body as possible as a show of power.

Satan clenched his fists, his entire body coiled tightly and ready to launch at the higher ranking demon sitting before him. What he wouldn't give for an excuse to wipe the indifferent look off of Lucifer's face. Fortunately for him, he had felt the brush of a pure soul against his aura, the silly thing had virtually walked right into him before turning tail and running.

"Foolish Prince... you play your games, yet I already know what is to be true not only could I sense that soul in hell... I could smell her, I felt her... just now," Satan grinned wickedly, watching his brother's indifferent look become one of seriousness.

"You will not over step your bounds brother, lest I remind you why I am the ruler of this realm," Lucifer glared down at the Prince of wrath, as his large leathery wings spread out behind him in a display of power.

"I shall do as I please Lucifer. A pure soul in hell is exactly what we need, with her soul we could easily open the gates of heaven, we could take back what is ours, we could take the realm of the living as well," Satan growled back, his lust for power, for supremacy was clearly evident in his smokey black eyes.

"You are a fool Satan.. have you even considered why a pure soul is in our midst? She is not of our dominion she could no more open the golden gates then we could, she is here simply because that blasted Shinto pantheon that reigns over her is over run with spirits and they knew not what to do with her when she passed," Lucifer spoke, keeping his voice even, his eyes trained on his demonic brother, watching the wrath demon's anger simmer just below the surface.

"No! You are the fool Lucifer! A pure soul is a pure soul! It matters not where it came from. And if you will not take action then I shall," Satan began to make his way in the direction he had felt the pure souls touch against his aura, "And when I have it, I'll be sure to take my place as the true ruler of our doma-"

Satan was cut off by a bright red flame connecting with his back, blasting him through the black doors and into the adjacent corridor.

"You will learn your place Satan, even if I have to instruct you," Lucifer's eyes were on fire, his normal red iris's had been replaced by the image of fire dancing around his pupil.

Satan grunted, hefting him self up to his feet , tucking his wings close to his back he growled over his shoulder at the premier prince. Even though he was the prince of wrath, he didn't let his anger rule him, his mind was a tactical one. He need only retrieve the pure soul from the depths of his brother's castle.

With a wicked grin at Lucifer, Satan turned and began to run down the vast corridor, his nostrils flaring as he scented the soul.. .she wasn't far off.

The empty air sudden erupted in flames around Lucifer, seeing his brother race down the hallway he was quick to follow, he would protect Kagome, she was his... or at least she would be, and as such she would not be harmed or used like a tool against him, he simply would not allow it.

* * *

Her room was getting hotter by the second, which should have been impossible, Lucifer had enchanted her quarters to moderate the temperature of the room to suite her needs. Similar to how the rest of the palace was enchanted to maintain a moderate temperature based on the occupants of the castle as a whole.

Right now though, Kagome would rather been out side next to the mote of fire surrounding the castle, because this heat was quickly becoming unbearable. It was steadily becoming hard to breath, the smell of sulfer filled her nose like before. What ever she ran into earlier was getting closer, causing a feeling of dread to wash over her.

Her room wasn't safe any more the smooth obsidian floors were hot against her feet, burning almost, as the pressence she had felt neared her room, it was dark and vicious, what ever was at the center of that aura was a being of demonic rage. She could practically feel claws digging into her flesh just standing in her room by herself.

Stepping one foot of her bed to test the floor again she hissed when the searing hot obsidian nearly burnt the bottom of her foot. She needed to leave. and fast. Her eyes went wide as the softly glowing blue runes that lined her walls went red, trying ti dissipate the heat, several of them failing all together blinking out as the magic in them was over loaded.

Thinking quickly she grabbed her blanket and tore a few strips of cloth from them, before wrapping them tightly around her feet. They weren't her trusty pair of sneakers from gym class... but they would hopefully do to help her reach the door to escape, if she was lucky the stronger runes that lined the hallways would be working better then her own .

With a deep breath she stood up on her bed, counting back from three in her mind as she prepared to race for the door.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists she leaped off the bed as far as she could, crying out even though her feet didn't feel the burn immediately she could tell that after this ordeal she was going to need a nice ice bath for her poor abused appendages.

Upon reaching the door she threw it open just in time to see Lucifer barrel over a large grey skinned demon. Plastering herself against the wall out side her door she slowly inched away from the pair of demons, watching as they snarled and raged, fires of red and black bursting in the air around them.

While scared out of her mind at what was happening , she was thankful her hunch had been right, the runes outside her bedroom were significantly stronger, the floor actually felt cold beneath her feet..

When flaming red eyes turned to her she froze, her own going wide as Lucifer threw the other demon down the hallway.

"Run!" He voice was deep with rage, before he turned back to face the other demon.

Not needing to be told twice Kagome was gone, racing down the hall way and rounding a corner just as Lucifer flew past her and into a wall. The wall crumbled, as she turned, against her better judgment, and raced to his side, grabbing chunks of rubble and tossing them aside, before he sat up the rocks shifting around him as he quickly stood up and pushed her behind him.

Satan, smiled wickedly as he walked calmly towards the pair.

"Why is it you protect her brother? Why do you keep her hidden away?" He questioned.

It was not words that answered Satan's question, as Lucifer growled, tossing flames at this brother.

The grey arch-demon simply batted them away, hell fire had no effect on him what so ever. "Is she a possesion brother? Something you would greedily keep to your self? Does she pleasure you perhaps, bringing out your lustful side? Or maybe you're a glutton for what ever punishment she can afflict you with?"

"Silence! Satan! My reasons are my own, and you will leave this palace immediate if you know what is good for you," The demon of pride growled, his tail coiling protectively around Kagome's waist behind him.

The Demon of Wrath grinned noticing the tail coiling around her.

"Or... maybe.. you fancy your self in love with her," He asked watching as Lucifer's face contorted in rage, "You love her! HAH! That's just rich! What would you seek to do with her? Win her heart? Make her your queen?"

Kagome looked up at the seven foot tall demon standing between her and Satan. Did this, all powerful ruler of hell... love her?

"Lucifer...Is what he's saying true?"

Lucifer's breath hitched, anger filling him, for letting his emotions run wild, for letting his vile brother read him so easily. He growled lowly, this was not in his plans, he would not have revealed his affections for her so prematurely. Hearing her soft voice question him, while his brother stood before them, made him want to turn and spill his black heart to her. But now was not the time, Satan had to be dealt with before anything could be explained.

"Yes brother... is it true?"

Uncoiling his tail from Kagome, Lucifer raced forth with an enraged howl, his claws quickly wrapping tightly around Satan's throat, lifting the other demon into the air he snarled.

"Haha... so the beast fell inlove... with the soul of a human woman, Pathetic," Satan sneered, before Lucifer clenched his hand tightly around Satan's thick muscled neck, crushing it easily.

"Silence..." Lucifer growled lowly, allowing the large grey-skinned prince's form to fall to the floor limply.

Kagome's tentatively took a step forward, slowly walking to stand by Lucifer's side. looking down at his brother's corpse.

"... You... killed your brother?" She asked slowly, grabbing Lucifer's large red-skinned arm and shifting her gaze up to him, a deep scowl set upon his lips as he glared down at Satan's body.

"No.. he can not be killed... although he may appear so, he is a Prince of Hell, he can't truly die here, but when he awakes he'll be angry beyond all belief," He turned his gaze down to her, the flames that surrounded his pupil had reduced to a simple smolder now, as he looked upon her concerned countenance, how could a being such as her not be repulsed by him slaying his own brother?

"I see..." was her short reply as she pulled her self closer to him looking down at the fallen demon.

"I will have my servants remove him from the Palace. Come, I'll tend to what ever wounds you have sustained," He spoke calmly, as he turned placing an arm around her shoulder and escorting her away from the scene.

* * *

Kagome took a sharp intake of breath as her bare feet met the cold water of the bath Lucifer had run from her. She sat now on a tall chair next to the bath tub, her gown hiked up around her knees as her feet rested in the chilled water. Lucifer's hand rested in the water as well, using his powers or magic, whatever it was, to draw the heat from the normally hot liquid.

Water was considered a luxury in hell, only those who served a prince of hell directly were allowed access to it, and even then. Given the very nature of hell the water was seldom cold.

"Thank you..."

Lucifer was brought of his thoughts by her voice, he had been contemplating where to go from here. He hadn't planned on telling her how he felt, not for some time yet. He had been mulling over what she was going to do with the knowledge.

"For what?"

When she sighed he brought his gaze from the water to her, she looked to be relaxed almost calm. How was she not teetering on the brink of insanity with what she had been dealing with since she landed in his home?

"For protecting me," She spoke plainly, her full pink lips curled up in a small smile.

"You need not thank me for that," He replied.

"Why not?"

He wanted to groan at her next question... is that all she ever did? Was question him?

"Because... if I had been more direct in handling the situation, if I had simply snapped his neck from the beginning you would not have been placed in danger," He glared at the large tub of water, "my pride allowed me to think I could simply brush off his accusations and send him away."

A feather light touch to his shoulder caused him to look to her.

"I think you handled it well enough, besides I'm fine really... I'll just need to stay off my feet is all," She stated grasping his free hand, before bringing it up to face to nuzzle her cheek against it.

Lucifer couldn't believe she was simply brushing away the fact he had placed her in danger, he also couldn't believe she was so tenderly holding his hand, or how soft her cheek felt against his palm.

"Why do you act this way... why is it you don't look upon me with revulsion?" He questioned.

"Because you aren't revolting, or hideous, or anything else. Your handsome if anything, You're eyes look like fire, your wings are amazing, and your tail was so gentle when it wrapped around me," She watched his jaw drop as she kissed his palm while she spoke softly, "and your red skin... it gives you such an exotic look, like it was made to draw me in."

Kagome hadn't known he felt about her so, strongly. Perhaps, Satan showing up was meant to be, to help Lucifer get his new found feelings across to her. But she had to think? Would she be able to love him in return? So far she found being in his presence was enjoyable, he made her laugh, got in childish food fights with her, and if anything else he was obviously quite interested in her physically. Not to mention he was attractive as well. But how long was she going to be here? What if her gods demanded her return? What if she stayed here for eternity? Possibly... but she'd worry about that later, right now they were having a moment.

"The color of my skin is meant to be an attractant," He spoke, not sure what to say, this beautiful soul had just complimented him, over and over. She thought him handsome.

"Is that so?" She looked up at him. Still smiling, her blue eyes glimmering with happiness.

"Yes..."

They sat in silence from then on, their eyes never leaving each other. Fire red gazing into an ocean of blue. He wanted her more then anything else... more then his vengeance upon the heavens, more then his freedom from this wretched realm. If he could spend eternity with her, everything else would be inconsequential.

"Kagome... would you consider, becoming my queen?" He dared to allow hope to blossom in his chest, asking the question he had been dieing to ask since he realized himself what he felt for her.

She looked into his palm, her gaze traveling up his arm to his face and then down his body, as if silently evaluating him. Lucifer couldn't help the knot he felt in his throat, unable to swallow as he waited her verdict. When her poor blistered feet left the tub, water splashing over the floor as she stood up before him, her finger indicating him to lean down. When he did so he was surprised when impossibly soft lips pressed against his own in a chaste kiss. When she pulled back he was speechless. She had kissed him... she.. had kissed... him. The warmth that suddenly spread his body at her innocent kiss... he could die a happy demon.. well if he could die that is.

"I'll think about it," She stated giving him an impish grin before racing out of the room ignoring her burned feet, her laughter filling the halls.

He scowled for a moment, before smiling. If it was a chase she wanted... a chase she shall have, and when he caught her... he'd be sure to make her scream yes, for all in his realm to her. And then in a flurry of flames he gave chase...

He didn't mind if it took him a month, a year, a century, hell even eternity. He'd have her as his queen and he'd make sure to shower her in his affection day in and day out.


End file.
